The Black Lake: Tales of Melancholic Horror Read Online Free Page B

kept to yourself, I suppose. It just doesn't seem right to me. I may be out of line, but I need to know: why'd you do it?”
    “No,” Troy responded in a hoarse tone.
    Cain cocked his head back like a walking pigeon, surprised by Troy's response. He asked, “ No? What do you mean 'no'?”
    “I don't regret it.”
    Cain nodded like a bobblehead toy and said, “Okay, okay. So, why'd you do it? What happened that night?” As he caught a glimpse of the sudden hesitation in Troy's lusterless eyes, Cain asked, “Don't you want to... to confess? Don't you want to tell-all before all is told?”
    Troy sighed, then gazed at Officer Cain – he knew him all too well. Cain stood five-ten with a burly physique. His perpetually dour facial expression contradicted his benign blue eyes. The sides of his ovoid dome were shaved, only short brown hair protruded from the top. He wore a standard police uniform – a navy button-up shirt, navy trousers, black insulated boots, and a utility belt. The engraved nameplate on his chest simply read: Cain .
    As expected, Cain had not changed. From his clothing to his personality, the correctional officer remained the same. Chiming-in like a psychologist but keeping a short distance like a reluctant stepparent. Cain was curious, but he knew to bite his tongue when the time arrived – he was respectfully inquisitive.
    Troy sighed in vexation, then said, “I don't want to say anything at all. What happened that night is between me and them. I won't apologize for my actions, I will not repent. Sometimes, it's what we have to do. That's all you need to know.”
    Cain rubbed his clean-shaved jaw and sucked his lips as he contemplated and accepted Troy's lucid message – it happened and there's nothing we can do about it. Yet, the unfortunate disappointment lingered at the back of his mind.
    Cain said, “Okay, that's fine. I understand you very clearly, Troy. Try to get some sleep. We'll come wake you up in the morning for your breakfast, then we'll... we'll get on with the show, I suppose. I'll see you in a few hours, buddy.”
    Cain's boots thudded on the pristine tile flooring as he slowly drifted away from the prison chamber. He moseyed down the hall, dragging his feet as the dispiriting experience made him sulky. Troy turned back towards the empty brick wall. Sleep was not on his monotonous agenda.
    Troy whispered, “I know it's coming.”
    Suddenly, jovial humming echoed into his cell from the neighboring hall. The soothing, ebullient sound was accompanied by prancing footsteps, like a young child gamboling in the hallway. The sound was eerily out of place, colliding with the grim ambiance to create a symphony of melancholy.
    Abruptly, a young girl's head protruded from the bottom of the scraped window on the door. The four-foot tall girl clearly stood on her tiptoes as she peered into the forbidding cell. Her brown hair was tied in pigtails. Her fuzzy pink pajamas veiled her tiny body. Her brown eyes appeared weary. Her eyelids were leaden with sleep.
    The young girl asked, “Do you miss me, daddy?”
    Troy's breathing intensified as he glared at his daughter. He tightly clenched his fists as the exasperation boiled within; his untrimmed fingernails pierced into his moist palms. He struggled to conjure the words to respond.
    Troy slowly shook his head and said, “Go... go home, Cathy. Go back to sleep.”
    Cathy tilted her head like a curious pup as she gazed into her father's bloodshot eyes. Troy gritted his teeth as he slowly turned back towards the brick wall, hopelessly trying to whisk the visiting apparition away. To his utter dismay, he felt his bed sink and he could hear husky breathing inside his cell.
    From over Troy's right shoulder, a female whispered, “You did this to us...”
    Troy sniffled as he slowly turned towards the chilling voice. He scowled as his wife sat beside him on the flimsy mattress. Her large white t-shirt was drenched in blood. Her brown hair was tied in a